The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1887-12-03
OUR PHILADELPHIA LETTER
pnlLAprIrmA. Pa., NOY. %, 's7

H. y
turing institution Of tine country. This building
Is situated uear Broad street fronting on Chest
nut. IL Is in the Immediate presence OF the
colossal buildings and the mammoth store OF
John wannamaker, the prince Of merchants.
The Mint has many features OF interest for OBJ
servant mankind. IL Is not only the great money
making establishment Of the country, bul It also
possesses the finest and most complete collec-
tion OF all CONS Of all nations and ages In the
cabinst attached. The working of this impor-
tant government funetuary is mainly scientific
and mechanical. The departments. so speak
ing. are the clerical, coming, assaying and melt
ing and refining. Ths scientific work pertains
TO the assaying and refining; It deals with the
fine metals such as gold and silver and for minor
coins, nickel and copper is used; the gold and
silver is assayed and separated. BY these pro
cesses the fneness and value of the metals Is
ascertained; 1t is upon this that the proper ad"
jnstment Of the metals depends so as to bring
them within the requirements Of the law for
coming purposes. The gold and silver, which is
as rule delivered by the express companies,
to the weigh clerk, who, after the assayer has
determined the 6neness, delivers 1t TO the
meter and refner, whose duty II is to have 1t
properly aloyed and melted, cast into lngots
and then transferred into the coiners charge.
In this epartment-coinlng- Is rolled, an
neaed cut into regulation sizes OF dollars, halves
quarters dimes, &C., &c, These, the planchats
then 60 the presses where every piece is
stamped by U. S. die, made specially for the
purpose by the government designer There are
eight of these presses, with capacity Of turning
out from eighty TO one hundred ahd eighty pieces
of money per minute. By this process many
millions of dollars have been made and put into
circulation by Uncle Sam. The coins after they
leave the press room are handed over 10 the ad-
justers, who are the women employees, and who,
by finely and correctly adjusted scales, assure
the legal weight of the coin; If a coin is too
heavy ii is by the adjuster filed down by tiny
file to Its proper weight If too light 1t is con-
demned and returned to the meters. The Mint
Is beehive Of Industry II is the busiest OF any
of the great departments Of the u s. Treasury
| II is run night and day; this Ia required In
order TO keep up with the exhorbltant de-
mand for com, especially minor coins. The fouI
hundred and fifty employees, during the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1887, turned out $40 pieces
OF gold valued at coinage value al S33,279; 81,
57,l62 pieces Of silver valued at coinage value al
s22, 800, ,67ll5 and 81, ,l6o,56o pieces of minor coin
such as one and fiye cent pieces, valued at S943,
650.65 making total of 81, ,532 45l pieces of mon
ey coined In one year; the total coinage value
| amounting to the tremendous sum of S23 277 800
| 80. This is the largest amount ever turned on
in the same period Of time. The year endint
Jnne, 1885, promises to exceed this, for durinf
the month of October the unprecedented result
accomplished was as follows: Standard dollars
1000 90 pieces; dimes, 1900, 600; five cent nicke
pieces, 71S,00O; cents, 4178,0O0; eagles, 80 500
making an aggregate of s,927 $50 pieces The
demand for minor coin is unprecedented The
cause for this is ascribed to the national pros
perity so manifest. This minor coin is shipped
into all sections and towns and cities in the
United States. The demand Is so great thai
with the night and day shifts working steadily
at the Mint orders are as rule not filled for two
months or more. The employees number about
45O men and women; men, 3l5, and women 1876
The salaries and wages for fiscal year of 1885,
amounted to S465566.os incidental expenses
Slil,034.b, and parting and refining, S6,O96 "a
The wages paid range from S2.75 to So per day
$3.50 per day is the main pay. Taking into con
| sideration the importance and vast responsible
| ty attached to these POSITIONS the pay is made
qliate and insufficient. One thing Is certain, the
government can afford to be liberal with its EN-
Poycs, especially In an Institution OF this kind
Much is involved and much care is required
The gold coinage Is put into bags of S50Ga 900
silver bags contain $1,000, and the minor coin i!
bagged in amounts of So, $40, 800 and $50. TIL,
silver and gold that is not in circulation is stored
into vaults. In the different vaults and cage!
pertaining to the Mint at the present time /!
the tremendous total of coin and bullion O
about S55, 900 ,O0o The bulk and weight of thi
is great. Gold is to silver as about 20 to OF 541
OF. of gold equals $1,000, while it takes 5sIs lbs.
silver to make $1,000. In the handling OF so Inucl
money or articles of value 1t would seem tha
some pilferng and heavy loss would be sus
tanned. The contrary of this is true, for it ba
only been known of two cases where any attemp
was made, by any employe, to steal Thes,
were readily detected and punished The meth
cd OF transferring the metals Is by weight WheI
one department gets certain amount of gold u
silver it is required to return the weight barrinI
the loss accruing from melting and ware. bu
this propOrtonate loss has been so finely ascer
tanned that there is no danger from this source
In fact the government allows certain propor
ton, but TO the credit of the employees be IL saiC
that even this allowance has not been wasted
for years. This is eredisable and commendabl,
for the men. The Supt of this immensely re
sponsibe institution is the Hon Daniel NJ. Fox
a man who in times gone by faithfully and hon
orably served the people in trustworthy position,
to which he was summoned by them. His ad
miniStraticn OF the Mint Ia strictly scrupufou,
and creditable. Under his management larger
results with less expense have been accom-
plished than wore ever before attained. Thi,
speaks volumes by way of merit and confidence
1t Is a case of swell done thou good and faithful
servant" ln addition to Mr.. FUXs care anf
trust, he has always exercised kindly anC
friendly consideration for the welfare and inter
est of the employees. This is evidenced in hi,
personal regard for all of them, and by the clean
Illness and improvement made throughout the
building for THAR comfort. He has established
dining rooms, additions and conveniences never
before had. The responsibility of the Sup't,
position can readily be appreciated when it /!
recognized that under his immediate charge ani
care is gold and silver of the value of $50 900 900
The greatness Of this amount OF money cannot
be imagined or conceived. The way best TO ap
proxlmate it Is TO have the readers Of the ADyo
CATE to think and realize that this sum would
keep at the rate Of 500 day more than lOOt
men nigh unto 900 years OF 100 men more than
soc0 years Behold Vanderbilt Gold is not neil
30 bulky as silver, for in the gold vault within q
space three feet deep, seven feet high and sever
feet long is packed thirtysix tons OF gold bullion
4
vaults and sasss contain some seventy million.
more. or about 2Os2 tons Och
The unusual attraction Of two "star actors" ir
the same play is accorded tO Philadelphia thea
ter goers this week. The two great and artist,
trassdlans are Booth and Lawrence Barrett
They appear In Shaksspearian roles. Tn,
crowds of pleasure seekers they attract is simply
immense They are eoining money but In re
turn aford adequate amusement and pleasure
The Chestnut Street Opera House is the scene OF
their triumphs. Another great attraction that
has come to stAy for about seven weeks is the
famous opera "krminnie." This company dur
ing the FIRST week had as proceeds sl3b5O, an
amount Of money, for one weeks performance
not before equalled.
Politics, IL seems, has been transferred from
the local arena TO the national capitol The
lurid head lines of the daily city journals lndi
cate this. II is a yexatieus thing they all de.